Fascism is only a ban away

by Cameron Slater on June 22, 2016 at 4:00pm

Cultural fascists are all the rage right now, and almost exclusively on the left. They want dissenting voices shut down, from scientists with hurt feelings to activists demanding presenters on television shows be banned because their views are not the same as the cultural fascists.

Once you start banning the views and speech of those you disagree with then you are only a small step away from real fascism.

Started by lawyer Dan Wayman the petition asks that Mike Hosking “be removed from public broadcasting at TVNZ“.

Wayman, who describes himself as a New Zealand-enrolled barrister-solicitor who divides his time between New Zealand and Shanghai, where he works at the British Consulate, says he started the petition because he “just felt something needed to be done really”.

“[Hosking’s] socially irresponsible comments are damaging to the New Zealand public, and especially as the face of the national broadcaster in the 7pm timeslot, being a family show, I think it’s harmful for the next generation to receive those types of sentiments from Mr Hosking.”

Wayman said comments made by Hosking over the crowdfunding purchase of the Awaroa beach and over the New Zealand flag debate as examples of why the broadcaster should be removed from TVNZ.

More recently Hosking was in the news when a formal complaint was laid against him over comments he made onSeven Sharp about New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd’s proposal of a Maori ward for local government councils.

“I’d never personally attack him obviously, but he’s completely out of touch with middle New Zealand,” said Hosking at the time.

Wayman said: “It’s the constant lack of empathy and dismissive comments of New Zealanders struggling, even following stories on Seven Sharp – he just does not get it, and I think it’s harmful.”

Who do these fuckwits think they are? They are upset and have hurty feelings because Mike Hosking says things they don’t agree with. The arrogance of these clowns is astonishing.

If you don’t like what someone says then don’t watch or listen to them, that’s what I do. It’s why John Campbell got he arse card from Mediaworks, his brand of social activism lacked an audience. Mike Hosking however has an audience and clearly the viewers like it.

I’ll bet that those 14,000 people who have signed up to the petition actually don’t watch Seven Sharp. But if they do then they should stop watching, then TVNZ will have to address a significant drop in viewership. That is the correct way to do it rather than calling for bans.

But the social justice warriors and mostly left-wing ranters on Twitter and Facebook don’t believe in freedom if speech, they prefer bans, threats and boycotts.

Nicky Hagar declared he wrote his book Dirty Politics to shut me down, stop me operating and working and stopping journalists and others from communicating with me. He is a fascist.

Three health activists and academics are currently trying to silence me with vexatious legal proceedings, to silence me, to silence people I work with and yet again try to frighten away people from dealing with me. I’m up for that fight, I’m not sure they are. Those who stand with me are the true heroes, those who cut and run become the enemy. When you are in a fight for your freedoms you need people you can trust and gutless cowards who cut and run are not people you want to spend a second thinking about.

This sort of bullying and cultural fascism must be fought, not meekly surrendered to.

I blame John Key for letting Red Peak on to the ballot in the face of a minority of vocal tools on Twitter and Mediaworks for caving to threats and boycotts from Giovanni Tiso. All they did is show people they can rant and rave and get action. The correct response to these bullies and boycotters is to shrug and laugh at them.

-Fairfax

Do you want:

Ad-free access?

Access to our very popular daily crossword?

Access to daily sudoku?

Access to Incite Politics magazine articles?

Access to podcasts?

Access to political polls?

Our subscribers’ financial support is the reason why we have been able to offer our latest service; Audio blogs.

As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.